My Heart is Full

My heart is filled with gratitude for the out-pour of love and support we received from so many people over the Christmas holiday. We literally had dozens of people dropping off goodies at our home, inquiring after Brad's mom, and offering to help us in any way they could. I am also thankful for all the people who have been praying for Brad's mom. She is showing signs of improvement now, which is a huge blessing. We are hoping and praying that she'll continue to improve and that she'll regain her strength. We want her whole and well again so she can come home to us as soon as possible. I'm sure that's what she wants more than anything else.

Merry Christmas!

6-Month-Old Gallery

Lizzy turned 6 months on the 9th. As part of a family tradition, we took her to get her picture taken. I thought it would be cute to make a little gallery of the kids when they got their 6 month pictures taken.
Here are the three siblings at 6 months old. Aren't they adorable?

Scott at 6 months.
March 1998

Emma at 6 months.
May 2001

Lizzy at 6 months.

December 2009

It's cute to see the resemblances between them.
And just for fun, here's a baby picture of their daddy when he was around 3 months old:

I think Lizzy looks a lot like him.

What Happened to the Poodle?

Rosie went from looking like this:

To looking like this:

What happened to the poodle?
Talk about extreme make-overs!

My Mother's Visit

My mother came to visit me during the second weekend in December. Some very nice people donated money for her to come which I greatly appreciate. It was a real treat having her here. She spent hours mothering Lizzy and spending time with her. The only time I had Lizzy to myself was when I nursed her, but even that was less often than usual, because my mom constantly asked to bottle-feed her.

It was really fun having Grandma Whitcomb here. We hope she comes again soon.

My First Turkey

I officially feel like a housewife now. I made my first turkey dinner last Sunday, right after the Thanksgiving holiday. The turkey was a gift from Brad's work. I roasted the 14 pound bird (whom I named Wilbur) all Sunday afternoon while we were at church, then I made some candied yams, corn pudding, and turkey stuffing. Brad, his parents, and I had our own little mini Thanksgiving dinner. I used the left over turkey to make a homemade soup yesterday. Emma loved it!

The Highlight of My Day: November 2009

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in November:

Sun 11/1/09: The weather is beautiful and perfect! I love the hint of crispness in the air without it being too cold. I love seeing the leaves change colors. It's gorgeous!

Mon 11/2/09: I was bad tonight and let Lizzy try a tiny bit of my ice cream. She really liked it! Her little tongue kept going in and out as if she wanted more. I only let her have a couple of licks, though. I was surprised she liked it so much.

Tue 11/3/09: I am so pleased that Scott is reading Harry Potter! He can hardly put "Order of the Phoenix" down. I think he's on page 790. He'll be done by tomorrow!

Wed 11/4/09: I had such sweet little moments with Lizzy today. At one point she and I were sitting on the couch together. She was looking at the ceiling and smiling. I was admiring how beautiful she is. I kissed her cheek. She giggled. I kissed her again. She giggled. We repeated this over and over again. I love her so much!

Thur 11/5/09: We finished reading "The Five Children and It" tonight. Scott and Emma enjoyed it very much. We'll be starting a new book shortly.

Fri 11/6/09: It was Date Night for me and Brad! We went to Jamba Juice and watched Brad's new U2 video. I got the Pumpkin Smash smoothie for the first time. Very yummy!

Sat 11/7/09: Brad and the kids did an amazing job cleaning up the living room and doing the laundry. I appreciate their help. I love my family!

Sun 11/8/09: I love how both Scott and Emma call me "Mama" now. It's my new name. :) I love it!

Mon 11/9/09: This morning I took Emma to her Speech evaluation meeting. We brought Lizzy along, and it was really sweet watching all of the ladies in the office and hallways admire how cute she is. My baby is adorable!

Tue 11/10/09: I am grateful to have a husband to lean on during hard times. We were both feeling sad tonight since Brad's mom was back in the hospital. It helped spending time together.

Wed 11/11/09: I cut Brad's hair for the first time tonight! It was my first time ever cutting a man's hair. I did a pretty good job.

Thu 11/12/09: Lizzy learned how to splash in the big bathtub today. It was so cute watching her little legs kick! Tonight was Activities Day for Emma, which I attended. When that was over, Emma came with me to Young Women in Excellence. I loved listening to the speakers talk about "Making a Marriage a Happily Ever After."

Fri 11/13/09: I exercised today! It was my first time on the treadmill in about a year. I felt so good afterward.

Sat 11/14/09: Brad and I went on a date without the baby! Hooray! We've only done that one other time so far. Today we went to the movies in a snow blizzard. I admit that I thought of the baby the whole time, but it was nice to finally be alone with Brad, too. I liked seeing all the pretty snow during our commute.

Sun 11/15/09: Tonight was tithing settlement, and both Scott and Emma came with us. Marilyn and James watched Lizzy. When we got home we had a joyous time watching "Shaun the Sheep" together.

Mon 11/16/09: We filled out "Who am I" questionnaires for FHE tonight. We also talked about modesty and the importance of keeping our bodies clean (physically and spiritually).

Tue 11/17/09: Tonight was SEP conferences at Scott's and Emma's school. They did such a great job this past term. Both of them made their AR goals, and both of them got high grades on their report cards.

Wed 11/18/09: Brad was such a sweetie today! He offered to clean the refrigerator and did a wonderful job. I have such a fantastic husband.

Thu 11/19/09: Scott and Emma came home from school early today, since they don't have school tomorrow. I love spending the extra time with them!

Fri 11/20/09: Brad took a half day off of work and we took the kids to Super Salad to celebrate Emma's 9th birthday. Happy Birthday, Emma-girl!

Sat 11/21/09: Emma had two birthday celebrations today. Her little cousins came over for lunch and we had pumpkin pie instead of cake. In the afternoon we had the rest of the family come over (minus Brad's Mom), and watched Star Trek and ate birthday cake. To top off our festive and busy Saturday, we went to the church in the evening to attend the Hill's Pie Party. That was fun!

Sun 11/22/09: Brad's mom came home from the hospital today! She'll be staying in the living room until her health improves a little more. I am so happy and so grateful that she is home and not in the hospital. My heart is full of gratitude to the Lord for answering our prayers.

Mon 11/23/09: It was great spending the day with Margaret and helping her. I've missed her so much. She means so much to me.

Tue 11/24/09: Sister Healy made us a delicious dinner tonight! She made homemade burritos with yummy white sauce and cheese. SO GOOD!

Wed 11/25/09: Have I mentioned lately how fantastic my husband is? Today he worked on cleaning and organizing the pantry. He did a wonderful job! The pantry is finally in order and there's so much more space now than before.

Thu 11/26/09: Loralee made Thanksgiving dinner at our home this year. She did a fabulous job! We had a houseful of nieces and nephews. It was nice visiting with family and having Brad's mom with us.

Fri 11/27/09: Had a marvelous evening with Bradley and the Twinkle in Springville, UT. I love romantic getaways! They remind me how much I love my husband.

Sat 11/28/09: We had a lovely morning before returning home from the hotel. Brad brought home a giant box from Best Buy to be our Christmas present this year. We also went over to the storage unit this evening and picked up some Christmas decorations.

Sun 11/29/09: I made my first turkey! Brad brought home a free 14 lb turkey from Del Sol, so I got to make a mini Thanksgiving dinner on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It turned out perfect!

Mon 11/30/09: The kids came home today! We had a good FHE lesson after going to the library. We talked about the media and making righteous choices when choosing what to watch, listen, and read. It's so good to have Scott and Emma back!